This was a comeback episode for some and 'someone ate the bread crumbs I left to mark a trail' episode for others. Sumitra and Ishmeet made a return appearance with this one. Irfan and Abhilasha are clearly looking for their bread crumbs.
Sumitra was really good yesterday. Again, not a serious departure from her usual genre, but she has learnt to modulate her voice at both ends and to make smooth transitions in either directions. On both days this weekend, no sqeaky falsetto was in evidence. Good for her! A
Priyani will remain one of the universe's mysteries to me. She missed sur a great deal and yet got rave reviews all around. Alka was the only nay-sayer and even then it was prefaced by how fantastic she is. What people hear, I really do not. I cannot wait for her to finish singing. Priyani is going to win and I will still not understand why at that point. C+
Toshi was good yesterday. I still find him irritating but his singing was far better than it usually is. His sur and taal were fine and while, unlike the Bhatts, I do not find people flinging themselves around the stage appealing, I will concede he did it with no great detriment to his singing performance. Good show, Toshi! A
Some alien read my comments yesterday and either took over Ishmeet's body or energized him seriously. He was unbelievable. I agree with Mahesh Bhatt that it does not matter whether he sounds like Kunal Ganjawala. His spin on the song worked equally well, and he did not violate the essence of the song. The MDs are territorial about tunes changing (naturally), but I think what Ishmeet did was to infuse the song with his presence not impose himself on it violently. A+ (Many more such surprises, please!)
I was struck by Arshpreet today. Not as much by her singing but the silence of her body language. What do I mean? Arshpreet has been remarkable in singing every kind of song, remarkably well. Each departure has invited one comment from the MDs--this is not her genre. They seem to want her to sing only Punjabi and Punjabi folk-based tunes. Today, Arshpreet's song choice reflected that. And this very quiet person showed in her own way that she was just going with the flow however silly she thought it. Her body language screamed: yeah, whatever, I am here to win and I can do what I like later. I have seldom seen a more expressive silence on stage. I agree with Arshpreet: to stereotype singers who are showing they are versatile is really .... narrow-minded, unimaginative.
Arshpreet sang competently. She was bored with the song. Technically, she was flawless and she did not shortchange the song, but where was the Arshpreet of Justuju jiski thi and Que sera sera? A- (B+)
Irfan was man-in-a-hurry and man-in-a-veri (Tamil for frenzy) last night. The result was painful. The passion that was missing in Prantik's 'Ye dil deewana' was violently splashed around in a song that Arindam sang beautifully a couple of months ago. I don't care what comments he got; he was off-sur, ahead of taal and just flailing about last night. Irfan, where are you? What happened? C+
Harshit could have been better. Harshit's presence is growing on me but I remain dissatisfied with his singing. Yesterday, there were a couple of sur and taal slips, but that is not the major problem. Everything about his singing shows a timidity, a fear of pushing boundaries, of testing himself, that makes me despair. He commented a great deal on Prantika's timidity but Prantika was very courageous when it came to singing. If Harshit doesn't try and find that place where he can really push himself to be the best he can, he will be an also-ran. B+ (he should be a B technically, but I want to make this an encouraging grade today).
Abhilasha is the other fraidy cat here. She is a very lucky young lady and deserved a little scare today. There are no excuses on stage and seventeen is not that young. This is the dead-serious stretch of this competition and she needs to get over stage-fright or whatever it is that bothers her. I thought all the judges were very kind to her but how long will voters be? Today, the Toshis and Ishmeets were clearly auditioning for Vishesh Films and Abhilasha should have been too. I thought Pooja Bhatt had exactly the right reaction at the end, and Abhilasha who hides behind Sumitra a lot, needs to learn how to overcome every anxiety (and Sumitra's anxiety does show when she is listening to comments) and do what she can do. I am not going to grade her today.
Mirande was very, very good. Her throat is still not well, but you could scarcely tell from the way she sang. Her 'Tinka Tinka' sounded like a page from a diary, a poem about a state of mind. Wonderful! This should be Abhilasha's poster-girl: A+.
Abhaas was almost himself. Just some fraction short of his usual virtuosity. A
I really want a break from some of these songs. I realize I am not going to get it, but there is no harm in expressing this view, is there?
I also want to comment on the fact that the Bhatts really make good celebrity judges. They are enthusiastic, encouraging, listen very closely, speak honestly and enjoy the program.
And now we have to wait a whole week for the next program.....
Shiv Shakti
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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